The overwhelming question I continue to hear over and over again out of this world is, “Where are the real men at?” There are books and magazines being written over the fact that men just aren’t the same as they used to be. To understand who men were created to be is to understand who God created Adam to be. He was the triumph to creation according to God. He was given dominion over everything that God had previously created.
The cherry on top of it all was when God created Eve, but that is a beautiful topic for another time. If we truly believe that man is made in the image of God, then we must also believe and remember that “the Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name,” Exodus 15:3. Which is to say that if God is a warrior; man is a warrior. However, society has had a rough time trying to make up its mind about men. They have tried to make masculinity sensitive, safe, manageable, and feminine. Not that all of that stuff is a bad thing, it’s just not what defines the makeup of who a man was created to be in the image of his Heavenly Father.
Throughout my journey on this Earth, I have found three types of men. Two are extremely common and the other is like seeing a reindeer in the wild. You knew it existed but get excited when you actually see one (especially if you are from the south) because a small part of you thinks Santa Claus must be near.
The Holiday Christian
The first type of man I've seen are often times nonbelievers or those who are Holiday Christians. These men are boys living inside of a man’s body who truly think that masculinity is found in how many women they can convince to get into their bed. Then the next day you better believe every man they know will be hearing about it, because they have become confused about what it means to be a man. If being a man was based on how many women a man could sleep with then married men would no longer be masculine because they were “stuck” with one woman. God created sex to be something beautiful and amazing.
However, he did not create it to be done with as many people as you can find. He created it to be an intertwining of the souls of two people that are madly in love with each other. At the end of the day, these men will always be searching for more because their soul is being pulled in so many directions that there is no satisfaction when the event is over. These men will also be the ones to pick and choose which parts of the bible fit their lifestyle. When it doesn't fit, they will be the first to come up with the line, “well it’s not like I murdered someone." A person’s soul can die much earlier than the body has died, and these men are slowly chipping away at their own soul and have no idea.
The Sunday Christian
The second man is the Sunday Christian who believes that God put men on the Earth to be nice guys. If you were to walk into a church and look at Christian men you would find men that are just bored because they are tired of being the nice guy all of the time. It can be exhausting when you are trying to be something God had no intention of creating you to be. They may even argue that Jesus was one of the nicest guys to ever walk this planet. Of course, men should be “nice”, but there is a warrior that was created inside of man that is a piece of who God is.
Eve was given the tender part of who God is, and Adam was given the warrior spirit of who God is. And he wants that to come out of you, but for His namesake. You better believe that Jesus was a powerful man. If he went into a temple or synagogue and found impure people or tax collectors, he went wild. He was flipping tables and professing God’s word like no other. If you look at Revelation 19, you will see that it speaks about Jesus as “the head of a dreadful company, mounted on a white horse, with a double-edged sword, his robe dipped in blood.” To me that doesn't sound like the "nice guy", so why are men insisting on being just that.
The Warrior
Now the last man, a true warrior, who is a rare find in this world, is the one who has discovered who he is in Christ. He has figured out that God is a person and not a religion. He is unafraid of the unknown and ready to jump into the unknown with God at any moment because he knows that God will always show up.
While the world tells this man to conform, take the easy route, and try to be in control of your life at all costs. He knows that there are no formulas with God and in turn, there are no formulas for the man that follows Him. God works with all the originality of a truly free and alive person. God is dangerous. Which makes the man that trusts Him, just as dangerous. Here is a quote from a true warrior, William Boykin; to get an idea of what it might sound like to encounter a man of God.
“This is what I love. This is what I hold dear. This is my family. This is my country. This is my faith. And this is what threatens it. This is the enemy. You will not hurt what I hold dear. You will not hurt what I love, without coming through me.”
Now if you think that God is telling Mr. Boykin to take it easy, to sit back in his pew and relax, then you have missed it! Look at the story of David and Goliath, God told David that it was time to move, time to go be a warrior and who I created you to be so, “David ran quickly toward the battle to meet Goliath.” 1 Samuel 17:48. Be like David, run toward whatever it is that is threatening your family, your faith, and whatever it is you hold dear. Show the enemy who you belong to because God will always show up.
Men, you must understand who your God is so that you can realize who you are called to be. Stop being afraid of what others might think of you. Get uncomfortable with where you are in life, and believe the God who created you has been waiting for you to get up so he can move WITH you. You have a purpose.
No, it won’t be easy, but your life will be worth whatever you have to go through to get to the one who created you. If you are going to be truly exceptional you have to be willing to stand up for what you believe in. You have to be willing to be hated, to be controversial, and the world will try to stand against you. The sooner you realize who you belong to and that He walks right beside you, you will never be the same. Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is men who have come alive. This is a call for men to come alive again, to step out into the unknown with God, so the question remains, “Where are the real men at?”
“We love the truth when it enlightens us, but we hate it when it convicts us." - Augustine
